Author
The Asylum Act provides for the right of access to reception centres and other reception facilities for family members, legal advisers, UNHCR, CPR, and other refugee-assisting NGOs recognised by the State for the provision of assistance to asylum seekers.[1] The internal regulation of CACR provides that unaccompanied children have the right to receive visits from family and friends which have been approved by the Family and Juvenile Court. The internal regulation of CAR provides for a general right to visits upon authorisation of the Director of the Centre.
In practice, asylum seekers accommodated at CAR and CACR benefit from legal assistance from CPR’s staff (see Regular Procedure: Legal Assistance) as well as from information and facilitation of contacts and meetings with lawyers at appeal stage. Such meetings can either take place at the reception centres or at the lawyers’ offices, in the presence of a representative of CPR in the case of unaccompanied children.
Within the context of the coronavirus pandemic, visits were only authorised in a specific designated area providing that the applicable preventive measures were respected.
[1] Article 59(4) Asylum Act.